The Way it Should Be By Dawn Capp DawnC@bigfoot.com Lucas awoke to the sensation of pain. His legs and arms ached and his head pounded. He tried to open his eyes, but searing blades of light shot painfully into his brain. He groaned, but the sound emerged as a croak. His throat was too dry to allow sound to escape. He laid there for a long time, oblivious to the passage of time. Finally, he tried to open his eyes again. The light still pained him, but it was manageable. Slowly, his surroundings came into focus. Above him rested a bunk bed. Experimentally, he turned his head. The room blurred and pain shot through his temples. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'Open your eyes Lucas,' he told himself. His eyes opened to the sight of Darwin in the swim tube. "Darwin?" He could still only manage a pathetic croak. "Where am I?" "SeaQuest," the dolphin responded. After a pause, Darwin asked, "Lucas is sick?" Lucas' mind reeled. How was he on seaQuest? How had he gotten back to Earth? * * * Hudson stood over Ensign Wolenchek and fidgeted impatiently. "Well, Ensign?" Wolenchek tapped hastily at the keyboard. "I'm trying, Sir, but this is going to take some time." "I suggest you try a little harder Ensign. Work faster." Ensign Wolenchek grunted a "yes sir" and continued typing hastily. The door to the bridge opened. No one paid the sound any attention. O'Neil kept his eyes at his station, Ford conversed with Henderson, and Hudson remained near Wolenchek. Piccolo stood near the communications console, working quietly. He seemed to faulter for a moment, as if suddenly dizzy. "Captain?" The feeble croak of a young boy pierced the calmness of the room. Every head turned, followed by the sound of gasps. "What the....?" Ford began. Lucas leaned against the doorway, drenched in sweat. He wore a blue shirt - the same blue shirt he was wearing on Hyperion, only now it was ripped and dirty. He stared at Commander Ford, apparently in disbelief. "Commander?" Lucas tried to take a step toward Ford. Ford broke into a run and caught Lucas just as he collapsed onto the deck. Ensign Wolenchek stood up. Ford looked at him, then back at Lucas. "What the hell is going on," Hudson demanded. Ford shrugged. "I have no idea, Sir." "I think I do, Sir," Tony Piccolo offered. All eyes turned toward Piccolo. "That's Lucas." Piccolo pointed toward the fallen boy near Commander Ford. "I'm Lucas," Ensign Wolenchek announced. "That boy is some kind of imposter." Tony shook his head. "Yesterday I woulda thought so." Tony walked over to the unconscious Lucas. "But you're not, are you?" Tony closed his eyes, apparently concentrating on something. "Wendy didn't have time to teach me a whole lot, but she did teach me a little. She taught me how to focus on a person, and think about nothing but them." He opened his eyes and looked at Ensign Wolenchek. "You're a real good copy, but you just gave yourself away." "Explain yourself, Mr. Piccolo," Hudson barked. Tony stood. "I didn't know til just now... when I saw Lucas." Suddenly Ensign Wolenchek laughed. O'Neill stood up, looking at Wolenchek skeptically. Ford stood up, leaving Lucas on the deck. "Call a med unit, O'Neill." O'Neill nodded, hunching over his console as he called for a medical team. Ensign Wolenchek morphed into a green, reptillian-like alien and grabbed Hudson by his shirt collar, throwing him over the console and onto the floor. Seconds later, the alien was out the door. It disappeared down the hallway too quicly for anyone to follow. Ford rushed over to the communications console and sent a ship-wide alert. "All personnel! We have an intruder aboard. Condition Red. Intruder. If you see Ensign Wolenchek, apprehend him immediately. Exercise extreme caution. He's dangerous." The med team arrived just as Hudson picked himself up from the floor. Ford helped him up and signalled the team to Lucas. The team immediately set to work, but one yound lady looked at Commander Ford and asked, "Didn't you just put an alert out on him?" Ford nodded. "It's a complicated story. We have an imposter aboard imitating Lucas Wolenchek. That's the real one," he explained, pointing toward the unconscious boy on the floor. * * * Ford and Hudson stood over Lucas as he slept on the medical examination table. "This entire time we've been working with an alien," Ford muttered, shaking his head. "Captain," Lucas muttered. "Captain Bridger.... Help.... please... " Ford and Hudson exchanged glances. Ford turned his attention back to Lucas, taking his head and squeezing it reassuringly. "It's okay, Lucas. You're okay now. You're safe." Lucas' eyes fluttered open. "Lucas?" Ford grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. Lucas looked at Ford, his eyes wet. "Commander?" His voice remained weak. "Where's Bridger?" "He's okay, Lucas." "Where?" Ford swallowed. "Lucas, what happened?" Lucas closed his eyes. "SeaQuest... I saw it destroyed. You're all supposed to be dead." Ford continued, his voice gentle. "I know Lucas, but what happened to you. What happened after that?" Lucas remained still and silent, his breathing steady. "Lucas?" His eyes fluttered opened. "Lucas, what happened to you," Commander Ford repeated. Lucas swallowed. "We were captured. Dagwood... Wendy... Miguel..." Hudson's face turned pale. He walked over to a computer and threw his fist down on the intercom. "Security, this is Captain Hudson. Apprehend Dagwood. Use caution, he is to be considered extremely dangerous. Do not, I repeat, do not kill him." Ford closed his eyes. "How did you get here?" "I.... I don't know," Lucas stammered. "How is this possible, Commander? I saw you die." Ford patted Lucas on the shoulder. "I know, Lucas. But we're okay now. We're all alive." "How?" Lucas tried to sit up, but Ford pushed him back onto the bed. "Later, Lucas. You rest now." Lucas shook his head, immediately regretting the action. He groaned and collaped back onto his pillow. "Please," he pleaded. "Where's the Captain?" Ford squeezed Lucas' shoulder. "I'll get him." His voice cracked. "I'll get him for you Lucas. Just rest now." Hudson walked toward the door and said, "I'll tell O'Neill to send a message to Bridger." Ford nodded. "Thank you, Sir." * * * The hatch doors opened and Bridger hurried onto the deck where Ford and Hudson waited. "Where is he," Bridger asked. "MedBay," Ford responded. "He's resting." Bridger took off toward medbay as Ford and Hudson hurried to keep up with him. "How could this have happened? Wouldn't a medical scan have revealed the alien?" Hudson shrugged. "Apparently not." "He's been in an alien prison all this time," Bridger asked. Ford nodded somberly. "I believe so, Sir." He paused, then added. "I think along with Dagwood, Wendy, and Miguel." Bridger came to a sudden halt and turned to look at the two men. "Wendy and Ortiz?" Ford nodded. "Dear God," Bridger muttered, then turned to resume his trot toward the medbay. "What about Dagwood." "We've got security looking for him and the other one," Ford said. "They've eluded us so far," Hudson added, his voice tinged with frustration. "Well, they're hard to catch," Bridger stated matter-of-factly. They arrived at medbay and Bridger immediately rushed over to Lucas. He sat on the chair Ford had used and took Lucas' hand in his own. "How is he?" Bridger asked one of the medical technicians working in the room. The young man looked up at Bridger with serious eyes. "He's severely dehydrated. He's got two broken ribs, several bruises, and there's some indication of head trauma. No concussion, but there's a small puncture wound at the base of his skull and there's been some swelling of his brain." Bridger closed his eyes. "Will he be okay?" The man nodded. "I think so. The swelling has abated and his ribs are healing. We've rehydrated and nourished his body. He'll be fine. He just need to rest." Bridger opened his eyes and nodded thankfully at the man. Lucas groaned and turned his head. His eyes opened and he gazed up at Bridger. Tears sprung in his eyes and he blinked, pushing the tears onto his cheeks. "Captain?" Lucas squeezed Bridger's hand. "I'm here, Lucas," Bridger said softly. Lucas sat up suddenly, grunting in pain as he wrapped his arms around Bridger in a weak hug. Bridger brought his arms around Lucas and held him gently against him. "It's okay, Lucas. You're safe now," Bridger assured him. Bridger gently lowered Lucas back onto the bed. "You're alive," Lucas sighed, closing his eyes in relief. "Yes, Lucas," Bridger assured him. He paused for a few seconds, then asked, "What happened to you? What did they do to you, Lucas?" Lucas swallowed. "I... I can't remember everything." Bridger held Lucas' hand, waiting for him to continue. "I... Dagwood... we were on the raft... alone.... " Lucas began. His breathing took on an irregular pattern and he squeezed his eyes as if remembering a painful childhood incident. After a few seconds, he continued. "A ship came. It took us... me, Dagwood... I saw Wendy and Ortiz there... in the prison. They...." his words were cut off as a whimper escaped his throat. Bridger squeezed his hand tighter, just enough to let Lucas know that he wasn't alone. "They wanted something... I think they wanted something from Wendy. They used us... used all of us... hurt us... hurt Dagwood... Ortiz... Wendy.... " Lucas opened his eyes and looked pleadingly at Bridger. His voice suddenly became stronger. "We've got to help them, Captain. We've got to.... " A hissing sound made Bridger look up to see the young medical technician standing next to Lucas. "I'm sorry, Sir, but he's getting too excited. He really needs to rest, his condition is stable at the moment, but it might not remain that way if he gets too worked up," the man said. Bridger nodded. "I understand. Try to keep him comfortable," he said, his voice low. The man nodded. "Yes sir, we will." The intercom buzzed. Hudson sat down at the console and answered it. "Hudson here." "Captain, Lt. Brazos here, we've trapped one of the intruders on C deck, section 2.... but.... " The sound of gunfire filled he room. "...but It's strong," the Lieutenant said. "It's gonna be hard to pin down." "I don't care what you have to do, Lieutenant, you neutralize that thing," Hudson commanded. "Yes sir," the voice answered, and the connection died. * * * Bridger, Hudson, and Ford spent the remainder of the day discussing the situation. The two aliens still remained at large, and Lucas continued resting in medbay. "I don't understand how they could have fooled us for so long," Ford mused, shaking his head. "They're so much like Lucas and Dagwood... even down to facial expressions." "Well, there was supposedly about a week's gap between the time seaQuest was destroyed and it's subsequent appearance on Earth," Hudson began. "That could have been enough time for them to interrogate Lucas and Dagwood in such a way as to be able to create a convincing imposter." Bridger shook his head. "I thought Wendy and Ortiz died, but to know that they're still trapped there, undergoing God knows what kind of torture.... " his voice trailed off. "Sir, you are the only one who knows what happened... how we got here," Ford prompted. Bridger nodded. "And I gave my word that I would never reveal it." He sighed. "But I just might have to." He looked up at Ford. "Not yet, though. Not until I find out more about what happened." "How are we going to do that," Ford asked. "We'll capture those intruders," Hudson stated. "Alive." * * * The next day, Ford, Bridger, and Hudson visited Lucas in medbay. "Captain, what's happened," Lucas asked, glancing at Ford and Hudson. Lucas face was pale and he had large bags under his eyes, but he seemed to be in less pain, and he definitely acted more coherent. Bridger paused before answering, apparently considering his words carefully. "Lucas, this is going to be hard for you to believe. It's been 10 years since seaQuest went to Hyperion..." "But that's impossible," Lucas interrupted. "You're all young." Bridger nodded. "It hasn't been 10 years for us. It's been 10 years for Earth." Realization suddenly filled Lucas' eyes. He glanced at Hudson and asked, "Who's he?" "I'm Captain Hudson. I command the seaQuest now," Hudson stated, his voice flat. Bridger looked at Hudson in annoyance, then back at Lucas. "What?" Lucas' brow furrowed. "What's going on? Why aren't you in command, Captain," Lucas asked Bridger. "It's a long story, Lucas." "I'm not going anywhere soon, Captain," Lucas stated. Bridger raised an eyebrow. "I see you are feeling better." A smile tugged at his lips, then his face became serious again. "I relinquished my command, Lucas. I found out that I have a grandson. I have a duty to him, and to help find his parents." "A grandson?" Lucas seemed to be having difficulty absorbing the new information. "How long have I been gone since seaQuest has been back?" Bridger glanced at Ford. He turned his attention back to Lucas, put a hand on the boy's shoulder, and said, "Almost a year." "The world has changed, Mr. Wolenchek. We're at war with Macronesian forces. SeaQuest is the UEO's best hope for victory," Hudson stated. "War?" Lucas shook his head. "This shouldn't be," he muttered. "This is all wrong." "Tell me about it," Ford muttered almost imperceptibly. Briger and Hudson ignored Ford, their attention fixed on Lucas. "Ten years? Why ten years," Lucas asked. "Not even I know that," Bridger said. Bridger and Hudson spent the next hour updating Lucas about the new state of affairs on Earth. At the end of the session, Lucas looked haggard and distraught. He closed his eyes and asked to be left alone. The three men obliged him, walking out of medbay. "Poor Lucas," Ford said. "This should never have happened to him." He swallowed. "I thought I was protecting him by forcing him off of seaQuest, not condemning him to 10 months in an alien prison." Bridger put a hand on Ford's shoulder. "You acted correctly, Jonathan. You couldn't know what would happen. You had Lucas' best interests at heart, and you did the right thing." Ford looked over at Bridger and nodded. "I know, but it still doesn't feel any better." Bridger looked at him sympathetically and said, "I know." * * * Lucas feigned sleep and waited until the medical technician left on an errand. As soon as the room was empty, he carefully got out of the bed. His right side ached with a dull pain, but he ignored it. Determined, he made his way over to the computer. Quickly, he tapped in to the main navigational computer, careful to keep his tinkerings subtle so as not to be noticed by anyone on the bridge. It took him only 10 minutes to accomplish his task. The message was sent. Now, he only needed to await an answer. "I'm not giving up on you guys," he said. "Hold on Wendy. Hold on Miguel." Lucas closed his eyes. "Please hold on Dagwood." * * * Bridger and Hudson stood in the brig, outside the cell, gazing at the creature within. It paced the small cell angrily, occasionally stopping to glare at the two men. "I'm not entirely sure that cage will hold him for any period of time," Bridger said. Hudson looked at Bridger, "Well it'll have to do for now. We're working on improvements." "Better make it fast," Bridger muttered, and left the Brig. * * * A WEEK LATER Lucas laid propped up on the bed in medbay, a laptop in front of him. Bridger and Ford walked into medbay and approached him. "I see you're getting back to your old self," Bridger said cheerfully. Lucas looked up at him. "There's been so many changes in computer technology over the last ten years.... It's great!" He glanced back at his screen, then, as an afterthought, looked back up at Bridger. "I want to see Darwin." Bridger nodded. "I'll ask the doc..." Alarm claxons sounded and the Hudson's voice permeated the air from the intercoms. "All personnel, prepare for impact... prepare..." Bridger threw himself on top of Lucas as the ship lurched violently. Ford was thrown back against the wall. He landed hard and let out a yelp of pain. Immediately, the ship steadied and Bridger hurried over to Ford. "Commander?" Bridger knelt beside Ford and helped him up. Ford rubbed the back of his head and said, "I'm okay... I think." "What was that all about," Bridger asked. Lucas smiled and jumped from the bed, running out of medbay. "Lucas!" Bridger took after him, followed closely by Hudson. * * * Hudson stared at the three alien intruders angrily. Lucas arrived just as three security guards raised their weapons toward the aliens. "Stop!" Lucas ran in between the aliens and the guards. "Lower your weapons," Bridger commanded. Hudson threw Bridger an angry stare, then looked at the guards and nodded. The guards lowered their weapons. "I take it you know these... uh... intruders, Mr. Wolenchek," Hudson asked. Lucas nodded, then turned toward the three alien visitors. "They visited us before," he told Hudson. "They're friendly." One of the aliens smiled slightly at Lucas and bowed its head. "Have you changed your mind?" Lucas shook his head. "No. I don't want to go with you." He looked over at Bridger, then back at the alien. "But I have a favor to ask." The alien nodded. "You assisted us. How may we assist you?" Lucas took a deep breath. "You can manipulate time. You can travel great distances in a very short amount of time." The alien nodded. It gazed at Lucas thoughtfully. Lucas closed his eyes. After a few moments, the alien smiled. "Of course. It will be done," the alien said. "What will be done?" Hudson barked. Lucas looked over at Hudson and smiled. "They're going to return things to the way they should be." "What?" Bridger approached Lucas. "You mean, turn back the clock?" Lucas nodded. "Yes Captain. And I think they can get Wendy, Miguel, and Dagwood." "Just like that?" Bridger looked at the aliens disbelievingly. Lucas nodded and smiled. "They're a lot more advanced than the Hyperions." "Lucas, I don't know if..." Bridger began.... Things changed suddenly. Lucas stood on the bridge of the seaQuest. The bridge was filled with the usual personnel: O'Neil, Ford, Tony, Brody, Ortiz, and Bridger - but they were all unconscious. Suddenly, Bridger, in his command chair, moaned and opened his eyes. He looked at Lucas, then scanned the bridge. "What happened?" Bridger rose from his chair and hurried over to Lucas, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Lucas, you're okay." Bridger looked around in confusion. "What happened? How am I back on seaQuest." Lucas smiled and hugged Bridger. "Thank you," he said, glancing upward. "Thank you." --------------- The End--------------- Okay, Okay, I know it can be better, but I'm just a poor student who should be studying instead of whipping out this seaQuest story. This is my first piece of fan fiction. I try to stay away from fan fiction, just because there's so much of it , but seaQuest ended so badly that I just had to help myself. In my mind, this is the way the seaQuest series really ended